All 76ers

Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey Interaction Goes Viral After Sixers’ Win

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey's postgame interaction has Philadelphia 76ers fans excited about what could come.

Justin Grasso

Jan 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard
Jan 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and guard / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Since the return of the MVP-winning big fella, the Philadelphia 76ers are undefeated.

Two games might be a small sample size, but Joel Embiid has done more than enough to prove his value to the Sixers this season as the team established itself as one of the best in the NBA when he’s healthy.

After taking down the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, the Sixers took a trip down South Beach to face the Miami Heat. Once again cleared for action, Joel Embiid shared the court with Tyrese Maxey for the first time in months.

It was like the two All-Stars didn’t miss a beat.

Thursday’s win was a grind for the Sixers, but the final result was all that mattered. Being that the Sixers and the Heat are battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Philly had a chance to help themselves in the race on Thursday.

After getting the win, Sixers center Joel Embiid told Tyrese Maxey that he played “much better” in Miami compared to Tuesday’s win over OKC. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s cameras caught the interaction, which went viral on X after the game.

“I was much better today,” Embiid told Maxey. “Imagine what we can do.”

In 32 minutes of action, Embiid scored 29 points for the Sixers on Thursday. While he’s typically the leader in the clubhouse for scoring, Maxey took on that responsibility on Thursday.

In 41 minutes, Maxey went 15-26 from the field. He knocked down five of his 14 attempted threes. It was a double-double affair for Maxey, who scored 37 points while dishing out 11 assists. He came one rebound shy of earning a triple-double.

Maxey and Embiid have proven to be one of the NBA’s top duos in the NBA this season. Unfortunately, health concerns prevented them from continuing to build on their early-season progress lately.

Fortunately, a potential playoff run could make up for lost time. Knowing they’ve been a threat to the NBA’s best team when healthy, Maxey and Embiid look forward to the possibility of another playoff run, as the big man seems to believe they could put together something special if they can keep injuries out of the equation.

Related Reading
76ers Playoff Outlook After Beating Miami

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News